James bied



J. BIRD.

Whiffletree.

Patented Aug. 6. 1867.

niteh %tatns %atmt @ffir.

IMPROVBMENT IN LOOPS I'OR BEARING-GHAINS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONOERN: y

Be it known th-at I, JAMES BIRD, of tho city, county, and Statt: of New York, have inventerl a, new a.nd useful Improvement in Loops f0l Bearing-Chnins; und I (10 hereby decla1e thnt the following is a full, dem, and exact description therebf, which will ena-ble nthers skilled in tl1e a.rt to make und use the samc, refereuce belng had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

'lhe drawing, consisting of only one figure, represents a. bcaring-lo'op made accbrding 'to my invention, the hea.d 01 upper part bcing shown in section.

The object ef this invention is to improve the mea.ns o1 devices now commonly used for suppox'ting the. sha.fts cf a. cart orother vehicle from tl1e shoulders or back of a. horse Q1 other animnl.

A device now generally used consists of a clmin hanging down from euch side of the shddle o1 saddletree, and attaohed directly t-o the shafts' Since the links of t-he chains cannt yield, it; is evident tha.l: they transmit to the saddle, and consequently to tl1e animal, every jolt and shock of tlxe vehicle, und mucl1 injury is tl1ereby occasioned to the nnimal. My inventlon is intend.ed t0 relieve animals from the injurious conseque nces of the jolts und motions of the vehicles to whiclx tlxey are attached; and it consists in a pcculiul construction of loop for connccting tl1e bearirlgchains to tl1e shaf'ts, whe1eby tl1e shocks zi.nd jolts are mad6 less sudden und. violent, by mezms of an elastic bed or cushion through which they are tlansmitted.

Tl1e letter A designates a loop whicl1 s1ipport s a shaft of a. cmt; by receiving such shaft ihroughit. Such a. loop is pla.ced on ea.clx sidc of the animv.l to 'support hoch shafts. A ring, G, is fixed a1: tl1e bcttom of the loops, 1:0 enuble tl1'e belly-bancl t0 be fastenecl to the loops. 'llie top of tlle loop is r'apidly narrowcd. as shown in the drawing, und is furmed into a. he-ad, E, whose top is closed except to nllow the holt ofa. swivel, O, to pass tl1rough it. 'lhe top of the holt has a. ring, D, by whi'ch the loop is connected to the usual bearing-clmiu, (not sl1own) which hangs down from the sicle of the saddle. The hollovv head E of the loop is filled snugly with a. cushion, F, of rubber 0x gutta pevclm, 0x otl1er suitable elnsti-c substance, which isretained in pl:we by a button or nutD, screwed on t11e end 0f the bolt C which passes through the cushion F. The sides H of the heu.d hold. up und sustain the sides of tl1e cushion, und consequently its elasticity is exerted chiefly in a vertical direction, enabling the cushion 1:0 sustain the force 0f the jolts of a velxicle with ense und. withoul: the liabiliby uf injury that attends n. metalllc spring. Euch side of an animal, tlm1; is to say, eacl1 bearing-chain sind shaf't, a1e supplied with a. like loop. When the weight of a. vehicle, or of that art tl1ercof \\hi0h is supported i 'rom the back of an animal, as in tlxe case of every two-whveeled vehicle like a. cnrt, is sudde'nly raised by a.jolt aguinst the wlxeels or by any other cause, it immedi-atalycomes down again with violence, ma.king the animal stagg er beneath the slxock. Wheu such ajolt occurs whcre my improvemenl: is applied the first und mosl: violent efl'ects are received by the cusl1ion F, whicll will be more or lass compressed, according to the load carried by the anima.l und a.ccord ing to tlxe amount of slack given to the bearing-chairl er chains, thereby to that extent relieving the a.nimal The cushiqn rna.y be compressed to increase its tension by screwing up the nut D, if desired.

from its efi'ects.

maybe lined. or covered a.t

'lhe loop that receives the slm.ft nmy be of anyconvenient sl1a.pe zmd size, und it bottom with an clastic cusl1lon on which the slmft will rest-.

I discla.im the hwention claimed by J. D. Willoughby, in bis patent of June 2, 1857, fo1: a. plough-dlevis.

I claim .s new, nnd desire to secure by Letters Patent- Mnking bea.ringchains with a hollow head. E, so a.s 1;0 receive und. hold an elastio cushion, F, substantially JAMES BIRD.

a.s above shown.

Witnesses:

M. M. Lxvmesron, ALEX. F. ROBERTE. 

